Africa

“Russia is engaged in a frantic new scramble for influence in Africa, which is being spearheaded by a rash of military cooperation and arms deals signed across the continent in 2018. The most recent – an agreement for a planned Russian logistics base in Eritrea, which would give it access

China is increasingly frustrated with the amount of investment dollars going to Africa, money they argue that could be better spent at home rather than being used to line the pockets of dictators and Chinese middlemen. President Xi’s recent announcement of 60 billion in aid includes $15 billion in grants

The U.S. is reducing troops and expanding drone activity in Africa as it begins launching drones from a new remote base in Niger. The Pentagon has underscored that their 800 personnel in Niger are there to train Nigerien forces and armed only in defense of ambushes, one of which resulted

Experts have begun to connect Chinese cyber campaign patterns with its Belt and Road Initiative projects. “If you take that map of the Belt and Road effort you will also find a pattern of cyber operations,” said one former NSA director. “Regional governments along these [Belt and Road] trade routes

While no decision has been made nor action taken, the Pentagon is reportedly exploring plans to reduce counterterrorism forces in Africa and focus more closely on threats from China and Russia. “The optimization effort does not mean that we are going to walk away from counterterrorism in Africa, but that

Chinese media has reported that Senegal is the first West African country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation agreement with China. China has already funded a series of infrastructure projects in Senegal. The announcement comes during Chinese President Xi’s highly publicized tour in Africa, his fourth while in office.

Chinese President Xi Jinxing has begun his 5-country, 10-day tour of the United Arab Emirates, Senegal, Rwanda, South Africa, and Mauritius, as a part of efforts to strengthen Chinese economic and political ties in the countries and the wider regions. In South Africa, Xi will attend a BRICS summit alongside

Kenya’s total debt to China has grown 15 percentage points since 2016, increasing from 57% to 72% of its bilateral debt, an amount 8 times greater than the next biggest lending partner (France). In the past 5 years, debt levels to China have multiplied by a factor of 10. Critics

Beijing established its first military base in Africa last year and it is now expected that more will follow as joint exercises increase across the continent, especially in countries where the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative has made significant investments. At the first China-Africa Defense and Security Forum this week,

A recent peace index listed drops in peacefulness for 92 states and improvements for only 71 during 2017. “’There is an ongoing deterioration in global peace,’ Steve Killelea, head of the Australia-based IEP, told DW. ‘It’s gradual and it’s been going on for the last decade.’ The conflicts in the